League
board will not compromise on timetable
Accra
(Greater Accra) 16 August 2001
Emmanuel
Donkor, the "stone" which the builders rejected has become the
"corner stone".
After scoring two of the five goals that mauled
Suhum Maxbees last Sunday, Donkor netted a hat trick, as defending league
champions Hearts of Oaks, drilled Liberty Professionals with a 4-2 victory in
their outstanding first round Star Premier League match at the Accra Sports
Stadium on Wednesday.
Donkor was one of the few players Hearts put on
the transfer list at the start of the league season, but could not secure a
good contract after a deal to loan him to city rivals, Great Olympics, failed.
But little did the Hearts management know that
the player's continued stay with the club could be a blessing in disguise.
Liberty unsettled Hearts with a first minute
goal. They benefited from a free kick awarded by Saltpond-based class one
referee Buckman Yanney, which was perfectly converted by Albert Neequaye.
Surprisingly, after that early shocker, Liberty
recoiled into their shelves and allowed Hearts to dictate the pace.
The Phobians came close to redeeming the
deficit but were denied by goalkeeper Cudjoe Addo while Ishmael Addo fumbled in
the fourth and seventh minutes before an empty post.
Liberty were reduced to 10 men in the 15th
minute after Francis Obeng picked a second yellow card.
Ishmael on the 29th minute mark
however levelled up for Hearts when he connected home an incisive pass from
Edmund Copson in the 29th minute only for Liberty's Papa Arko to increase the
tally against the run of play in the 33rd minute.
Coach Jones Attuquayefio brought on Awuley
Quaye Jnr. and Emmanuel Donkor for Charles Alottey and Don Bortey while Yaw
Berkoe replaced outstanding goalie Cudjoe Addo for Liberty after he had pulled
a muscle in the first quarter of the second half.
Donkor scored the remaining three goals in the
66th, 72nd, and 82nd minutes from a beautiful combination with Awuley Quaye and
Charles Taylor.
Hearts are still second on the 16-club league
table on 33 points, two less than archrivals Kotoko with two matches on hand
against Real Tamale United and Sekondi Hasaacas while Kotoko have one against
Adansiman.
GRi…/
Current
standings in the Star Premier League
Club Local/Region P W
D L F A Pts
GD
Kotoko Kumasi, Ashanti 14 11
2 1 25
4 35 +21
Hearts Accra, Greater Accra 13 10 3 0
28 6 33 +22 Goldfields Obuasi, Ashanti 14 8
1 8 16
10 25 +14
Hasaacas Sekondi, Western 14
8 1 5
17 15 25 +2
RTU Tamale, North 14 6
4 4 13
9 22 +4
Bofoakwa Sunyani, Brong Ahafo 15 5 5 5
15 14 20 +1
Dawu Dawu, Eastern 15 6
2 7 18
18 20 0
Liberty Accra, Greater Accra 15 6 5 4
17 17 20 0
Okwahu Nkawkaw, Eastern 15 4
6 5 17
15 17 +2
K.
Faisal Kumasi, Ashanti 14 6
2 6 11
10 17 0
B.
Arsenal Berekum, Brong
Ahafo 15 4
3 8 10
24 15 -14
Maxbees Suhum, Eastern 15 4
3 8 12
31 15 -19
Adansiman Obuasi, Ashanti 14 3
5 6 16
20 14 -4
Ghapoha Tema, Gt. Accra 15 2
6 7 6
10 12 -4
Kwaebibrem Asuom, Eastern 15 3
3 9 8
17 12 -9
Gt.
Olympics Accra, Gt. Accra 15 2
5 8 8
16 11 -8
NB: Four
points was deducted from the accumulated points of King Faisal for fielding an
unqualified player in their 2-2 drawn match against Tano Bofoakwa. They lost
the point that they picked in the second week match and three from their
accumulated points. Hearts having honoured their match against Liberty
Professionals now have two outstanding matches with Kotoko one and Goldfields
one.
GRi…/
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 16 August 2001
Leading
scorers in the Star Premier League after Liberty/Hearts outstanding league
match on Wednesday.
11 -
Ishmael Addo (Hearts)
9 - Awudu Adama (Dawu) Isaac Boakye
(Goldfields)
7 - Frank Turkson, Issah Mohamnmed (Hasaacas)
Godwin Ablordey
(Kotoko) Nana Arhin-Duah
(Goldfields)
6 - Emmanuel Donkor (Hearts)
4 - Eric Mbroh (Dawu) Asamoah Dzifa (Maxbees)
Joseph Adjei (RTU) Osei Kuffour
(Hearts) Nana Frimpong, Shila Alhassan
(Kotoko) Awudu Alhassan (Adansiman)
Albert Neequaye (Liberty)
3 - J
B Danquah (Olympics) Baba Sulley (Dawu) Ernest Boateng (Okwawu) Joe
Agyeman (King Faisal) Albert Batsa,
Ablade Morgan (Liberty) Kwaku Asare
(Adansiman) Frank Osei (King Faisal)
Hamza Mohammed (RTU) Robert Amoaku
(Goldfields) Charles Taylor, (Hearts)
2 -
Anthony Mintah, John Kudjoe, William Agyapong (Bofoakwa) Adu Kwaku
(Kaebibirem) Chibsah Yusif (King
Faisal) Lawrence Adjei, Joe Louis (Kotoko)
Princeston Owusu-Ansah (Goldfields)
Issa Shaibu, Willie Hammond (Maxbees)
Kingsley Kwarteng (Hasaacas) Kofi
Debrah (Liberty) Ben Kwame (Ghapoha)
Nicholas Addo (Dawu) Nana Adarkwa, Mike
Acheampong (Arsenals) Sulemana
Bentil (Kwaebibirem) Asare Nyarko,
Johnson Eklu, Kwesi Keremanteng (Okwawu)
Awuley Quaye (Hearts) David Amoaku
(Olympics) Isaac Asari(Adansiman).
1 - Eric Gawu, Tijani Mohammed, Ben Boakye,
Kwabena Opoku, Ben Wilson (King
Faisal) Victor Antwi, Salifu Shaabu,
Martin Appau (Kwaebibirem) Samuel Kyere,
Ibrahim Yahaya, Joseph Boakye, Seth
Antwi, Razak Moro, Shaibu Yussif (Arsenals)
Limbambani Yedibahoma, Akakpo Patron,
Moses Tetteh, Papa Arko (Liberty) Amui
Quaye, Richard Anderson, Mensah
Pomanney, Alex Awuah (Ghapoha) Samuel
Aryetey, Dennis Odoom, Frank Adjei
(Olympics) Kofi Apetor, Richard Mireku,
Alfred Nii Darko, Seth Osei, Alfred
Larbi, Yaw Ohene Noble, Robert Kingston,
Matthew konadu (Okwawu) Haruna Gariba,
Charles Ampiah, Hope Leveh, Kwaku
Armah, Alfred Arthur, Osei Kofi
(Adansiman) Steven Amo, Eric Boakye, Aminu
Musah (Goldfields), Kwarteng Kingsley
(Hasaacas) Richard Oppong, Ben Kusi,
Baffour Gyimah, Tahiru Abdulai, George
Yamoah, Kwadwo Opoku, Kennedy
Boadi, Kwasi Matthew (Bofoakwa) Edmund
Copson (Hearts) Dzagbo Kumi,
Ibrahim Kuvi, Sulemana Faisal, Fusani
Sumaila, Kwame Acheampong, Abass
Iddrisu, Fatawu Arola (RTU) Joshua
Quarcoopome, Kofi Acquah, Eric Marfo,
George Ampoful (Maxbees) Abedi Sarfo, Aziz Ansah, Ofosu Appiah, Steven
Oduro, Joe Okyere (Kotoko)
GRi…/
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Cape Coast
(Central Region) 16 August 2001
A first
division league encounter between Cape Coast Venomous Vipers and Mpohor Iron
Fighters was called off on Sunday because the Cape Coast Police command could
not guarantee the safety of the visiting team.
A blue Benz bus with registration number GT
3692 F carrying officials and players of Iron Fighters was attacked hours
before the scheduled kick off time by angry fans for an apparent no reason.
The team manager Mr Louis Des Bordes and
three others, Bartholomew Budu, Stephen Hanson and Michael Awusi sustained
various degree of injury, while the windscreen and the side glasses were
broken.
ASP Henry Amankwatia, who was in charge of
security at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium, told the GNA Sports on Monday at
Cape Coast that his outfit was informed of a planned attack by some aggrieved
fans on the visitors in revenge of an earlier attack on supporters of their
"brothers" Ebusua Dwarfs.
He said subsequently, 40 policemen were
deployed to beef up security. But, after a pre-match meeting at about 12.30 PM,
three officials of the team, were attacked by about 10 young men who had laid
ambush outside the conference room.
One of the young men, was arrested and locked
up at the offices of the regional Sports Development Officer, but his
colleagues later invaded the premise to free him.
According to ASP Amankwatia, in the afternoon,
at about 2 P.M., a mob attacked the bus of the visiting team just at the
entrance of the main stadium gate with sticks and stones.
He said at that time, most of his men
had positioned themselves in the stadium and before they could get to the
scene, the mob had dispersed.
Sensing danger, Mr Amankwatia asked the driver
of the bus to park at the police station and informed the match officials to
call of the game because he could not guarantee the safety of the visiting team.
He said even after Accra-based class one
referee Ernest S.B. Allabi, had called off the match at about 4 P.M, the mob
still pursued the team, who the police escorted to Elmina on their way back
home.
Meanwhile, Mr Kweku Ackah Yensu, Director of
Vipers has appealed to the GFA to award them the maximum three points and three
goals since Iron Fighters did not on the pitch for the match.
GRi…/
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 16 August 2001
The
Professional League Board (PLB) is it is determined to complete the 2001 Star
Premier League and the F/A knockout by December 9.
A report by The Ghanaian Times said
in pursuit of that, the PLB has resolved not to give in to requests by clubs
for rescheduling of matches among others.
Mr Sylvester Mensah, chairman of the
PLB, disclosed this on Tuesday. He announced that, the league will continue
immediately after the completion of all outstanding matches.
For Goldfields, who are currently
participating in the CAF clubs competition, arrangements have been made for
them to hounour their outstanding matches within the December 9 time frame.
Mr Mensah, disclosed that if
Goldfields makes it into the final of the CAF clubs competition, Accra will be
playing host once again to CAF.
The PLB boss, who is also an elected
member of the GFA management board, said the programme for the rest of the year
will soon be released as a guide for all.
It would be recalled that the May 9
Accra Stadium disaster as well as international engagements by clubs and
national teams, threw the F/A Cup and league into disarray, consequently,
postponements and rescheduling meant the league going beyond the scheduled time
completion.
The GFA, to ensure clubs participate
in next year’s CAF competition, appealed to CAF to extend the deadline for the
submission of representatives for the various competitions.
CAF, obliged and gave Ghana a
two-week extension of its December 1st deadline, thus bringing
Ghana’s deadline to December 15.
GRi…/
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